Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems

MESOPHOTIC CORAL ECOSYSTEMS – A LIFEBOAT FOR CORAL REEFS?

MCEs are known to include complex and diverse assemblages

of flora and fauna, but there is limited quantitative

documentation of the degree of biodiversity and the

number of unique or depth-restricted species that occur in

these habitats. Studies conducted to date have consistently

suggested that MCEs may be more diverse than previously

believed, may be considered important biodiversity and

chemical reservoirs (Kahng et al. 2010), and include species of

considerable ecological and economic importance (Bejarano

et al. 2014).

Study of MCEs has lagged behind that of their shallow reef

counterpartsduetothedifficultyinaccessingthesecommunities

using conventional scuba diving. Although mesophotic species

have been known to exist since the nineteenth century, it was

not until the 1960s and 1970s that direct observation of MCEs

by divers or submersibles became a reality (Gilmartin 1960,

Starck and Starck 1972, Yamazato 1972, Wells 1973). Studies

began reporting that MCEs have a high species diversity and

richness (Lang 1974, Thresher and Colin 1986, Pyle 1996a,

b, Armstrong et al. 2006) and may play important roles as

corridors between biogeographic regions (Feitoza et al. 2005,

Olavo et al. 2011, Ludt et al. 2012). Despite these important

advancements, the majority of research on MCEs has been

limited to just a few geographic regions; primarily the tropical

Western Atlantic Ocean (including the Gulf of Mexico and

Biodiversity of mesophotic

coral ecosystems

4.1.

Introduction

Chapter 4.

Frederic Sinniger

, University of the Ryukyus, Japan

David L. Ballantine

, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution; University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, USA

Ivonne Bejarano

, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, USA

Patrick L. Colin

, Coral Reef Research Foundation, Palau

Xavier Pochon

, Cawthron Institute; University of Auckland, New Zealand

Shirley A. Pomponi

, NOAA Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research and Technology, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute — Florida

Atlantic University, USA

Kimberly A. Puglise

, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), USA

Richard L. Pyle

, Bernice P. Bishop Museum, USA

Marjorie L. Reaka

, University of Maryland, College Park, USA

Heather L. Spalding

, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, USA

ErnestoWeil

, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, USA

Figure4.1.

Adiversearrayofmarine invertebratesdominate the faunaofmostMCEhabitats, as illustrated in thisphoto fromPohnpei,Micronesia,

75 m in depth. Most of these invertebrates are very poorly documented and many species are new to science (photo Sonia J. Rowley).